This invention relates to a water production unit that operates to efficiently extract water from air using heat from exhaust.
One by-product of combustion from an engine is heat. Heat is typically rejected from the engine as a waste product, in the form of a hot exhaust stream. However, this heat may be used to drive a process for recovering water from the ambient air. There are many environments in which an engine is used where water is desired but not readily available. For example, during military campaigns water is typically brought to remote or arid regions where water is not readily available. Water must be brought along a supply line to troops, where military vehicles are often present, which is dangerous and costly.
A water recovery system has been proposed to extract water from the ambient air using heat from a turbine or internal combustion exhaust. The proposed system is suggested for a stationary turbine engine used in a power generation plant to reduce emissions by injecting the recovered water into the combustor, or for mobile engine applications where a supply of potable water is desired. However, any system employed in a military or similar vehicle must be highly efficient to justify the system. Therefore, what is needed is an improved water production unit for an engine.